COBRA Rights

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is a federal law that gives
you and your covered dependents the right to continue group health coverage on a self-paid
basis when you are no longer eligible for employer-sponsored coverage.

Notice Requirement

COBRA requires that you provide notice to HR, hrbenf@uark.edu, within 31 days of a covered dependent losing eligibility for coverage. No HR notification
is required when employees lose their eligibility through termination or change in
employment status; departments just enter the end of employment or change of employment
status into the UA payroll system.

Qualifying Event Eligibility

You are eligible for up to 18 months of COBRA coverage if:

You chose to terminate or are terminated from university employment

Your hours of employment at the university are reduced to the extent that eligibility
for employer-sponsored medical benefits would ordinarily be lost

You are eligible for up to 36 months of COBRA coverage if:

You are an eligible dependent of a university employee who dies while employed

You are the divorced spouse of an university employee

You are a child of a university employee who loses eligibility for dependent coverage
due to age and loss of dependent status

You are NOT eligible for COBRA continuation if:

You are covered by another group health plan at the time of the qualifying event

You or a dependent later become covered by another group health plan

You were dismissed for gross misconduct

Coverage

You may continue any or all of your medical, dental and/or vision insurance, as well
as your healthcare Flexible Spending Account. You and each of your enrolled family
members are entitled to make separate decisions to continue coverage.

Enrollment

The COBRA enrollment deadline is 60 days following the date of a qualifying event
or the date on which you receive notice from WageWorks, whichever is later.

Upon your end of employment, HR notifies UMR (health coverage), Arkansas Blue Cross
Blue Shield (dental coverage) and/or Superior Vision to cancel your coverage effective
the last day of the month in which you terminate employment if your final check is
large enough to cover your insurance premiums. If your final check is not large enough
to cover your insurance premiums, your coverage will end effective with your termination
date.

HR notifies the university's COBRA administrator, WageWorks, that you left university employment. WageWorks contacts you about your rights to
continue your coverage under COBRA. You have 60 days to contact WageWorks and elect
to continue with COBRA coverage from whichever date is later:

The date of a qualifying event

The date on which you receive notice from WageWorks

Once you contact WageWorks to continue coverage with COBRA, you have 45 days to make
your first premium payment, retroactive to the date your plan ended. The insurance
company will reinstate your coverage retroactive to the date coverage ended after
being notified by WageWorks that you have paid your first premium. You will experience
no break in coverage, and any denied claims can be reprocessed for payment.

Enrollment Steps

Respond to notification from WageWorks and enroll in COBRA within 60 days of notification date.

Make the first COBRA payment to WageWorks no later than 45 days from your COBRA election date. Your first premium is retroactive to the date your
plan ended.

Re-submit any claims that were denied during the period when your coverage was canceled.

The insurance company will reinstate your coverage retroactive to the date coverage
ended after being notified by WageWorks that you have paid your first premium.